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Roundup: 18 people including 11 Afghan soldiers killed in W. Afghanistan

Xinhua, June 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 18 people including 11 Afghan soldiers lost their lives as military convoy came under attack of militants in the western Herat province with Herat city as its capital, 640 km west of Kabul, on Sunday, Defense Ministry said in a statement here Monday.

"A group of terrorists ambushed a military convoy in Karukh district, Herat province Sunday evening which triggered gun battle during which 18 people including 11 soldiers and seven militants were killed," the statement asserted.

Five more militants sustained injuries during the firefight which lasted for a while.

Earlier a private television channel Tolo reported in its news bulletin that the militancy convoy was on way to the neighboring Badghis province when it came under attack leaving 11 soldiers dead and injuring six others.

Meantime, a spokesman for Herat provincial government Ehsanullah Hayat in talks with media confirmed the ambush on military convoy and put the attack on the enemies of peace, a reference to the Taliban militants.

In another development which occurred in Herat's neighboring Kandahar province also on Sunday, an army helicopter made hard landing in Naw Abad locality of Maiwand district leaving two servicemen dead, an official said but declined to be identified.

However, Samim Khpalwak, the spokesman for Kandahar provincial government, confirmed the incident, adding investigation has been initiated into the case and details will be made public after completion of investigation.

Taliban militant group fighting the government to regain power has claimed of responsibility for downing the chopper, a claim utterly rejected by Khpalwak as groundless.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since April 24 when the armed outfit launched its annual spring offensive in Afghanistan and since then hundreds of people including militants, security personnel and civilians have been killed.

Meanwhile, Sediq Sediqi, the spokesman for Afghan Interior Ministry and Dawlat Waziri, the spokesman for Defense Ministry, at a joint press conference here Monday categorically stated that the country's security forces are capable enough to smash Taliban and associated militants across the country. Endi